Author Topic: The Desire of Ages--41--The Crisis in Galilee  (Read 17620 times)

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Beacon

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Re: The Desire of Ages--41--The Crisis in Galilee
« Reply #40 on: January 11, 2019, 10:35:37 AM »
"To eat the flesh and drink the blood of Christ is to receive Him as a personal Saviour, believing that He forgives our sins, and that we are complete in Him. It is by beholding His love, by dwelling upon it, by drinking it in, that we are to become partakers of His nature. What food is to the body, Christ must be to the soul. Food cannot benefit us unless we eat it, unless it becomes a part of our being. So Christ is of no value to us if we do not know Him as a personal Saviour. A theoretical knowledge will do us no good. We must feed upon Him, receive Him into the heart, so that His life becomes our life. His love, His grace, must be assimilated."

Jesus said, " Come unto me all ye who labor and are heavy laden and I will give you rest " Matthew 11:28   He invites us to know Him, to experience His Love and Saving Grace....In Revelation 3:20 Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me" But we must " Open the Door "


"But even these figures fail to present the privilege of the believer's relation to Christ. Jesus said, "As the living Father hath sent Me, and I live by the Father: so he that eateth Me, even he shall live by Me." As the Son of God lived by faith in the Father, so are we to live by faith in Christ. So fully was Jesus surrendered to the will of God that the Father alone appeared in His life. Although tempted in all points like as we are, He stood before the world untainted by the evil that surrounded Him. Thus we also are to overcome as Christ overcame."
Look up and listen for the shout.

Dorine

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Re: The Desire of Ages--41--The Crisis in Galilee
« Reply #41 on: January 11, 2019, 10:57:37 AM »
"With a yearning heart, Jesus saw those who had been His disciples departing from Him, the Life and the Light of men. The consciousness that His compassion was unappreciated, His love unrequited, His mercy slighted, His salvation rejected, filled Him with sorrow that was inexpressible. It was such developments as these that made Him a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief.
     
Without attempting to hinder those who were leaving Him, Jesus turned to the twelve and said, "Will ye also go away?"         

Peter replied by asking, "Lord, to whom shall we go?" "Thou hast the words of eternal life," he added. "And we believe and are sure that Thou art that Christ, the Son of the living God."      "To whom shall we go?" The teachers of Israel were slaves to formalism. The Pharisees and Sadducees were in constant contention. To leave Jesus was to fall among sticklers for rites and ceremonies, and ambitious men who sought their own glory. The disciples had found more peace and joy since they had accepted Christ than in all their previous lives. How could they go back to those who had scorned and persecuted the Friend of sinners?"

These words spoke strongly to me today yet I fail to have the words to express what I want to say. If we are not clinging to Jesus moment by moment we too will be among the crowd that leaves the remnant before Jesus comes. Jesus is the only answer, yet humanity attempts to find a better way so that he/she can hang on to his/her pet sins and still be saved. Jesus will ask us the same question,
"Will ye also go away?" 
But this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press  toward the mark. Phil. 3:13,14

Richard Myers

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Re: The Desire of Ages--41--The Crisis in Galilee
« Reply #42 on: January 11, 2019, 01:44:49 PM »
I contemplated one day what I would do if I ceased doing ministry? What blackness!! It is something that has not entered my mind again. What joy we have in Christ! Where would be go? There is nothing else!

I was impressed again that Jesus wants the whole heart, not part of it. He knows that unless we give it all to Him, we remain dead in sins and trespasses and will have no love, joy, and peace. As Beacon shared, we are told what we must do in order to be saved, how we can be brought to give Jesus the whole heart.

 To eat the flesh and drink the blood of Christ is to receive Him as a personal Saviour, believing that He forgives our sins, and that we are complete in Him. It is by beholding His love, by dwelling upon it, by drinking it in, that we are to become partakers of His nature. What food is to the body, Christ must be to the soul. Food cannot benefit us unless we eat it, unless it becomes a part of our being. So Christ is of no value to us if we do not know Him as a personal Saviour. A theoretical knowledge will do us no good. We must feed upon Him, receive Him into the heart, so that His life becomes our life. His love, His grace, must be assimilated. 


Jesus receives His reward when we reflect His character, the fruits of the Spirit......We deny Jesus His reward when we do not.

Beacon

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Re: The Desire of Ages--41--The Crisis in Galilee
« Reply #43 on: April 07, 2019, 08:06:17 PM »
"With a yearning heart, Jesus saw those who had been His disciples departing from Him, the Life and the Light of men.The consciousness that His compassion was unappreciated, His love unrequited, His mercy slighted, His salvation rejected, filled Him with sorrow that was inexpressible. It was such developments as these that made Him a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief. Without attempting to hinder those who were leaving Him, Jesus turned to the twelve and said, "Will ye also go away?" Peter replied by asking, "Lord, to whom shall we go?" "Thou hast the words of eternal life," he added. "And we believe and are sure that Thou art that Christ, the Son of the living God." To whom shall we go?"

Today, Jesus is asking that same question of each one of us -- " Will Ye Also Go Away? " I pray that our response will be the same as Peter's. " To whom shall we go??

"Let us be hopeful and courageous. Despondency in God’s service is sinful and unreasonable. He knows our every necessity. To the omnipotence of the King of kings our covenant-keeping God unites the gentleness and care of the tender shepherd. His power is absolute, and it is the pledge of the sure fulfillment of His promises to all who trust in Him. He has means for the removal of every difficulty, that those who serve Him and respect the means He employs may be sustained. His love is as far above all other love as the heavens are above the earth. He watches over His children with a love that is measureless and everlasting." {MH 481.4
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JimB

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Re: The Desire of Ages--41--The Crisis in Galilee
« Reply #44 on: April 08, 2019, 05:19:04 AM »
Again Christ appealed to those stubborn hearts. "Him that cometh to Me I will in nowise cast out." All who received Him in faith, He said, should have eternal life. Not one could be lost. No need for Pharisees and Sadducees to dispute concerning the future life. No longer need men mourn in hopeless grief over their dead. "This is the will of Him that sent Me, that everyone which seeth the Son, and believeth on Him, may have everlasting life: and I will raise him up at the last day."

What a wonderful promise we have from a Wonderful and saving Savior. He will not cast any out who come to Him. So lets keep reading, thinking, contemplating, and talking about His love for us so that we wake up every morning willing to surrender our hearts and plans to Him. He is such a compassionate Savior.
By communion with God in nature, the mind is uplifted, and the heart finds rest.  {DA 291.1}

Richard Myers

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Re: The Desire of Ages--41--The Crisis in Galilee
« Reply #45 on: April 08, 2019, 06:31:23 AM »
Amen, Jim!  What a God we serve!

As food sustains our physical life, so the Word sustains our spiritual life. Why? Because the Word is a revelation of the character of our God. The Word was made flesh and dwelt among us. Faith cometh by hearing and hearing by the Word. As we behold Jesus we are changed into His image (2 Cor. 3:18).

To eat the flesh and drink the blood of Christ is to receive Him as a personal Saviour, believing that He forgives our sins, and that we are complete in Him. It is by beholding His love, by dwelling upon it, by drinking it in, that we are to become partakers of His nature. What food is to the body, Christ must be to the soul. Food cannot benefit us unless we eat it, unless it becomes a part of our being. So Christ is of no value to us if we do not know Him as a personal Saviour. A theoretical knowledge will do us no good. We must feed upon Him, receive Him into the heart, so that His life becomes our life. His love, His grace, must be assimilated. 


Amen! Grace surrounds us, but it does us no good unless we behold it and assimilate it.

As they feed upon His word, they find that it is spirit and life. The word destroys the natural, earthly nature, and imparts a new life in Christ Jesus. The Holy Spirit comes to the soul as a Comforter. By the transforming agency of His grace, the image of God is reproduced in the disciple; he becomes a new creature. Love takes the place of hatred, and the heart receives the divine similitude. This is what it means to live "by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God." This is eating the Bread that comes down from heaven.
     Christ had spoken a sacred, eternal truth regarding the relation between Himself and His followers. He knew the character of those who claimed to be His disciples, and His words tested their faith. He declared that they were to believe and act upon His teaching. All who received Him would partake of His nature, and be conformed to His character. This involved the relinquishment of their cherished ambitions. It required the complete surrender of themselves to Jesus.


Jesus receives His reward when we reflect His character, the fruits of the Spirit......We deny Jesus His reward when we do not.

Pastor Sean Brizendine

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Re: The Desire of Ages--41--The Crisis in Galilee
« Reply #46 on: April 08, 2019, 08:17:07 AM »
Amen, Beacon, Jim, and Richard! What a joy that we can behold Jesus and become like Him in mind and character as we surrender the whole heart to Him!

I am thankful that God's word gives us both the spiritual nourishment and the desire to walk in the plans He has for us. Jesus' word is the means by which He becomes intimately involved in our lives, for we meditate upon it, share it, and receive constant strength from it. The other day I was listening to a message that used an illustration about sheep, and the Bible compares us to sheep following the Good Shepherd, Jesus. I learned that sheep spend about a third of their lives "ruminating," (i.e., chewing the cud), much how in our lives God will say something to us, but we spend much time mulling it over, dwelling upon it, repeating it in our minds, and thus receiving the ongoing strength that continues to come to us from that word, much like how a sheep keeps "chewing the cud" of what it eats and gets all the nourishment out of it. I am thankful that God gives us so much hope and guidance in His word for our day-to-day journey heavenward!

"The life of Christ that gives life to the world is in His word. It was by His word that Jesus healed disease and cast out demons; by His word He stilled the sea, and raised the dead; and the people bore witness that His word was with power. He spoke the word of God, as He had spoken through all the prophets and teachers of the Old Testament. The whole Bible is a manifestation of Christ, and the Saviour desired to fix the faith of His followers on the word. When His visible presence should be withdrawn, the word must be their source of power. Like their Master, they were to live 'by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.' Matthew 4:4." {The Desire of Ages, page 390, paragraph 3}
"When we live by faith on the Son of God, the fruits of the Spirit will be seen in our lives; not one will be missing." {The Desire of Ages, 676.4}

Dorine

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Re: The Desire of Ages--41--The Crisis in Galilee
« Reply #47 on: April 08, 2019, 09:35:01 AM »
"When Jesus presented the testing truth that caused so many of His disciples to turn back, He knew what would be the result of His words; but He had a purpose of mercy to fulfill. He foresaw that in the hour of temptation every one of His beloved disciples would be severely tested. His agony in Gethsemane, His betrayal and crucifixion, would be to them a most trying ordeal. Had no previous test been given, many who were actuated by merely selfish motives would have been connected with them. When their Lord was condemned in the judgment hall; when the multitude who had hailed Him as their king hissed at Him and reviled Him; when the jeering crowd cried, "Crucify Him!"--when their worldly ambitions were disappointed, these self-seeking ones would, by renouncing their allegiance to Jesus, have brought upon the disciples a bitter, heart-burdening sorrow, in addition to their grief and disappointment in the ruin of their fondest hopes. In that hour of darkness, the example of those who turned from Him might have carried others with them. But Jesus brought about this crisis while by His personal presence He could still strengthen the faith of His true followers.      Compassionate Redeemer, who in the full knowledge of the doom that awaited Him, tenderly smoothed the way for the disciples, prepared them for their crowning trial, and strengthened them for the final test! " 

This gives us a glimpse of what the final sifting will be like. The heartbreaking agony will be beyond words. Yet in God's love for His faithful, He will allow these trials to come to all that those who reject Him will leave as bitter enemies and those who cling to Him will be strengthened for the final test that is soon to come.  It's our choice.
But this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press  toward the mark. Phil. 3:13,14

Beacon

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Re: The Desire of Ages--41--The Crisis in Galilee
« Reply #48 on: July 03, 2019, 03:11:38 PM »
"Christ became one flesh with us, in order that we might become one spirit with Him. It is by virtue of this union that we are to come forth from the grave,--not merely as a manifestation of the power of Christ, but because, through faith, His life has become ours. Those who see Christ in His true character, and receive Him into the heart, have everlasting life. It is through the Spirit that Christ dwells in us; and the Spirit of God, received into the heart by faith, is the beginning of the life eternal."

"It is by beholding His love, by dwelling upon it, by drinking it in, that we are to become partakers of His nature. What food is to the body, Christ must be to the soul. Food cannot benefit us unless we eat it, unless it becomes a part of our being. So Christ is of no value to us if we do not know Him as a personal Saviour.

A theoretical knowledge will do us no good. We must feed upon Him, receive Him into the heart, so that His life becomes our life. His love, His grace, must be assimilated."

Jesus tells us..."He is the Manna which came down from heaven." The Word is a revelation of Christ,AND AS WE BEHOLD HIM IN HIS WORD, WE BECOME CHANGED IN CHARACTER!


Look up and listen for the shout.

Richard Myers

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Re: The Desire of Ages--41--The Crisis in Galilee
« Reply #49 on: July 04, 2019, 07:03:53 AM »
Amen Brother Beacon!  Is it not amazing that all through this Book is revealed our continual need of Jesus and how it is that we are converted and re-converted daily! We are what we eat, both physically and spiritually. Yet so many will not take time each day to behold the loveliness of Jesus.  :(    But, there are many who when they discover this truth will turn from the wisdom of man to behold the character of our God.

Again and again we share:

  To eat the flesh and drink the blood of Christ is to receive Him as a personal Saviour, believing that He forgives our sins, and that we are complete in Him. It is by beholding His love, by dwelling upon it, by drinking it in, that we are to become partakers of His nature. What food is to the body, Christ must be to the soul. Food cannot benefit us unless we eat it, unless it becomes a part of our being. So Christ is of no value to us if we do not know Him as a personal Saviour. A theoretical knowledge will do us no good. We must feed upon Him, receive Him into the heart, so that His life becomes our life. His love, His grace, must be assimilated. 


It would be very good to spend a thoughtful hour a day contemplating the life of Christ. It is a spiritual and an intellectual truth that by beholding we become changed. The mind gradually adapts itself to that which it beholds. The brain is plastic and changes by what we feed it. It is either a curse or a blessing. We choose each day what our future will be. Grace surrounds us as thick as the air we breathe. Yet it does us no good unless we behold it. And it "must be assimilated."  We must allow it to come into the heart. Then, we will become partakers of God's divine nature. Then the Holy Spirit will take possession of the heart and we will manifest every one of the fruits of His Spirit, not one will be missing! What a miracle!!

Jesus receives His reward when we reflect His character, the fruits of the Spirit......We deny Jesus His reward when we do not.

Pastor Sean Brizendine

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Re: The Desire of Ages--41--The Crisis in Galilee
« Reply #50 on: July 04, 2019, 07:18:27 AM »
Amen, Brothers Beacon and Richard! I, too, was impressed by the immense promise in those words you quoted, 

Christ truly supplies all our need--our part is to behold and partake by grace through faith His character by His word, so He abides in us by faith, and all of the fruits of His Spirit will be manifest in and through us without one missing!

"To eat the flesh and drink the blood of Christ is to receive Him as a personal Saviour, believing that He forgives our sins, and that we are complete in Him. It is by beholding His love, by dwelling upon it, by drinking it in, that we are to become partakers of His nature. What food is to the body, Christ must be to the soul. Food cannot benefit us unless we eat it, unless it becomes a part of our being. So Christ is of no value to us if we do not know Him as a personal Saviour. A theoretical knowledge will do us no good. We must feed upon Him, receive Him into the heart, so that His life becomes our life. His love, His grace, must be assimilated." {The Desire of Ages, page 389, paragraph 3}

Assimilation to the image of Christ--what a thought! But with God all things are possible! Day by day, as we behold Jesus, we are being changed from one degree of character to the next, until grace is swallowed up in glory at the coming of Jesus which is SO SOON!!
"When we live by faith on the Son of God, the fruits of the Spirit will be seen in our lives; not one will be missing." {The Desire of Ages, 676.4}

Beacon

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Re: The Desire of Ages--41--The Crisis in Galilee
« Reply #51 on: September 26, 2019, 04:01:34 PM »
" The teaching of the prophets made plain the deep spiritual lesson in the miracle of the loaves. This lesson Christ was seeking to open to His hearers in the synagogue. Had they understood the Scriptures, they would have understood His words when He said, "I am the bread of life." Only the day before, the great multitude, when faint and weary, had been fed by the bread which He had given. As from that bread they had received physical strength and refreshment, so from Christ they might receive spiritual strength unto eternal life. "He that cometh to Me," He said, "shall never hunger; and he that believeth on Me shall never thirst." But He added, "Ye also have seen Me, and believe not." "

What would Jesus say of us today? Would He say...the same thing " Ye also have seen Me, and believe not."? I have found that my human nature can quite easily say " I wish that so and so could hear this message!! or just take the time to read their Bible or the wonderful simple instructions given through God's Messenger to the Remnant Church.

But the important question remains --- What would Jesus say about "my" relationship with Him.?  God forbid that He would say..." Ye also have seen Me, but you have believed not" !! Time is running out for planet earth. I would like to invite you to join with me and make sure that our connection with Jesus is " REAL " and not just theory

Look up and listen for the shout.

Dorine

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Re: The Desire of Ages--41--The Crisis in Galilee
« Reply #52 on: September 27, 2019, 07:48:39 AM »
To eat the flesh and drink the blood of Christ is to receive Him as a personal Saviour, believing that He forgives our sins, and that we are complete in Him. It is by beholding His love, by dwelling upon it, by drinking it in, that we are to become partakers of His nature. What food is to the body, Christ must be to the soul. Food cannot benefit us unless we eat it, unless it becomes a part of our being. So Christ is of no value to us if we do not know Him as a personal Saviour. A theoretical knowledge will do us no good. We must feed upon Him, receive Him into the heart, so that His life becomes our life. His love, His grace, must be assimilated.

And what a sweet peace fills our lives when we finally understand what this really means. It's amazing how we can read these wonderful truths and still not get it. Satan is an expert at clouding our minds with unbelief but the Holy Spirit will do battle with the enemy when we open our hearts and minds to Him. We will be given clarity of mind and conviction of spirit and as we spend time studying the life of Christ our characters if we don't resist will be transformed into the likeness of Jesus.
But this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press  toward the mark. Phil. 3:13,14

Richard Myers

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Re: The Desire of Ages--41--The Crisis in Galilee
« Reply #53 on: September 27, 2019, 08:57:23 AM »
Amen, Sister Dorine! If we want physical life, we eat bread. If we want spiritual life we feed upon Jesus. As Brother Beacon has shared, Jesus is the "Bread of Life."

  The people had referred Christ to the manna which their fathers ate in the wilderness, as if the furnishing of that food was a greater miracle than Jesus had performed; but He shows how meager was that gift when compared with the blessings He had come to bestow. The manna could sustain only this earthly existence; it did not prevent the approach of death, nor insure immortality; but the bread of heaven would nourish the soul unto everlasting life. The Saviour said, "I am that bread of life. Your fathers did eat manna in the wilderness, and are dead. This is the bread which cometh down from heaven, that a man may eat thereof, and not die. I am the living bread which came down from heaven: if any man eat of this bread, he shall live forever." To this figure Christ now adds another. Only through dying could He impart life to men, and in the words that follow He points to His death as the means of salvation. He says, "The bread that I will give is My flesh, which I will give for the life of the world."
Jesus receives His reward when we reflect His character, the fruits of the Spirit......We deny Jesus His reward when we do not.

Pastor Sean Brizendine

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Re: The Desire of Ages--41--The Crisis in Galilee
« Reply #54 on: September 27, 2019, 09:00:45 AM »
Amen, Brother Beacon, Sister Dorine, and Brother Richard!

As we look upon Christ and appreciate the loveliness of His character in the realization that He is able to transform us into His image, we experience true conversion. Our life becomes one with His life by the agency of the Holy Spirit who implants the word of God our hearts and minds, making us partakers of the divine nature. Such a transformation is a great miracle fills us with all of the fruits of the Spirit without one missing as we gladly obey the law of God as the Spirit of God has revealed it to us in Christ.

"By looking constantly to Jesus with the eye of faith, we shall be strengthened. God will make the most precious revelations to His hungering, thirsting people. They will find that Christ is a personal Saviour. As they feed upon His word, they find that it is spirit and life. The word destroys the natural, earthly nature, and imparts a new life in Christ Jesus. The Holy Spirit comes to the soul as a Comforter. By the transforming agency of His grace, the image of God is reproduced in the disciple; he becomes a new creature. Love takes the place of hatred, and the heart receives the divine similitude. This is what it means to live 'by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.' This is eating the Bread that comes down from heaven."  {The Desire of Ages, page 391, paragraph 1}

When our natural, earthly nature is destroyed and we are living by the power of the divine nature, we will still face temptations from the world, the flesh and the devil. The key to continual victory in this spiritual warfare is to realize our continual need of Jesus and rely upon Him at every step. As we depend upon Him, He will direct our paths as we trust fully in Him. Praise the Lord for the victory in Jesus!! 
"When we live by faith on the Son of God, the fruits of the Spirit will be seen in our lives; not one will be missing." {The Desire of Ages, 676.4}

Beacon

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Re: The Desire of Ages--41--The Crisis in Galilee
« Reply #55 on: December 21, 2019, 11:49:04 AM »
"Food cannot benefit us unless we eat it, unless it becomes a part of our being. So Christ is of no value to us if we do not know Him as a personal Saviour. A theoretical knowledge will do us no good. We must feed upon Him, receive Him into the heart, so that His life becomes our life. His love, His grace, must be assimilated."

"The whole Bible is a manifestation of Christ, and the Saviour desired to fix the faith of His followers on the word. When His visible presence should be withdrawn, the word must be their source of power. Like their Master, they were to live 'by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.' Matthew 4:4."

"As we feed upon His word, we find that it is spirit and life. The word destroys the natural, earthly nature, and imparts a new life in Christ Jesus. The Holy Spirit comes to the soul as a Comforter. By the transforming agency of His grace, the image of God is reproduced in the disciple; he becomes a new creature. Love takes the place of hatred, and the heart receives the divine similitude. This is what it means to live "by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God."

Let your prayer today be like the words of the song....FILL MY CUP LORD.

Like the woman at the well, I was seeking
For things that could not satisfy.
And then I heard my Savior speaking—
“Draw from My well that never shall run dry.”
    
Fill my cup, Lord;I lift it up Lord;
Come and quench this thirsting of my soul.
Bread of Heaven, feed me till I want no more.
Fill my cup, fill it up and make me whole.
2
There are millions in this world who are seeking
For pleasures earthly goods afford.
But none can match the wondrous treasure
That I find in Jesus Christ my Lord.
3
So my brother if the things that this world gives you
Leave hungers that won’t pass away,
My blessed Lord will come and save you
If you kneel to Him and humbly pray—
Look up and listen for the shout.

Pastor Sean Brizendine

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Re: The Desire of Ages--41--The Crisis in Galilee
« Reply #56 on: December 22, 2019, 04:25:57 AM »
Amen, Brother Beacon!!

As we receive Jesus into our hearts and lives on a moment-by-moment basis, we experience such "off the charts" joy and happiness that we make His service appear truly attractive!! Not only will all of the fruits of the Spirit be seen in our lives without one missing as we live by faith on the Son of God, but we will happily obey the law of God from the heart renewed by grace because it is a law of love, provided for our happiness and joy!

"By looking constantly to Jesus with the eye of faith, we shall be strengthened. God will make the most precious revelations to His hungering, thirsting people. They will find that Christ is a personal Saviour. As they feed upon His word, they find that it is spirit and life. The word destroys the natural, earthly nature, and imparts a new life in Christ Jesus. The Holy Spirit comes to the soul as a Comforter. By the transforming agency of His grace, the image of God is reproduced in the disciple; he becomes a new creature. Love takes the place of hatred, and the heart receives the divine similitude. This is what it means to live 'by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.' This is eating the Bread that comes down from heaven." {The Desire of Ages, page 391, paragraph 1}

I am so happy that Jesus offers you and me a relationship with Him that is eternal. The Lord really encouraged me this morning to realize that one thing that He has His signature on is TIME. If you choose to sin and be lost by rejecting Christ (and breaking the Father's heart) it is only for a limited time that you will experience existence, for sin cannot continue indefinitely. But by receiving Jesus' love into your heart, you are given an INFINITE amount of TIME to enjoy the relationship with God. God shows that time is valuable to Him by making the Sabbath commandment that enjoins worship and rest on the seventh day of the week the seal of our relationship with Him through the Holy Spirit settling us into the truth both intellectually and spiritually.

But while we will get to enjoy eternity with God, there are many around us who are not headed for eternity if they continue in sin, for sin limits the amount of time you will exist, for the wages of sin is death, and thus the end of enjoying time in life. That means that good time stewardship is to do all you can (with the eternal life given you in Christ) to reach those whose "time of life" is ticking away and need to see Jesus in your life, hear a personal, direct appeal to their hearts to accept Christ, and to join the Lord in selfless service (the veriest bliss). Let us do all we can in and through Christ to reach souls!!
"When we live by faith on the Son of God, the fruits of the Spirit will be seen in our lives; not one will be missing." {The Desire of Ages, 676.4}

Dorine

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Re: The Desire of Ages--41--The Crisis in Galilee
« Reply #57 on: December 22, 2019, 11:49:46 AM »
Again Christ appealed to those stubborn hearts. "Him that cometh to Me I will in nowise cast out." All who received Him in faith, He said, should have eternal life. Not one could be lost. No need for Pharisees and Sadducees to dispute concerning the future life. No longer need men mourn in hopeless grief over their dead. "This is the will of Him that sent Me, that everyone which seeth the Son, and believeth on Him, may have everlasting life: and I will raise him up at the last day."

What a Saviour. He has made the way so plain and simple. But humans want to make it complicated and confusing. I'm thankful today for the wonderful news that Jesus promises eternal life to those that believeth on Him. This goes deeper than just a mental acknowledgement of Jesus. Belief means accepting Him as our personal Saviour and walking in His footsteps. What a joy is ours when we yoke up with Him.
But this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press  toward the mark. Phil. 3:13,14

Richard Myers

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Re: The Desire of Ages--41--The Crisis in Galilee
« Reply #58 on: December 22, 2019, 10:49:54 PM »
"Food cannot benefit us unless we eat it, unless it becomes a part of our being. So Christ is of no value to us if we do not know Him as a personal Saviour. A theoretical knowledge will do us no good. We must feed upon Him, receive Him into the heart, so that His life becomes our life. His love, His grace, must be assimilated."

"The whole Bible is a manifestation of Christ, and the Saviour desired to fix the faith of His followers on the word. When His visible presence should be withdrawn, the word must be their source of power. Like their Master, they were to live 'by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.' Matthew 4:4."

"As we feed upon His word, we find that it is spirit and life. The word destroys the natural, earthly nature, and imparts a new life in Christ Jesus. The Holy Spirit comes to the soul as a Comforter. By the transforming agency of His grace, the image of God is reproduced in the disciple; he becomes a new creature. Love takes the place of hatred, and the heart receives the divine similitude. This is what it means to live "by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God."

Let your prayer today be like the words of the song....FILL MY CUP LORD.

Like the woman at the well, I was seeking
For things that could not satisfy.
And then I heard my Savior speaking—
“Draw from My well that never shall run dry.”
    
Fill my cup, Lord;I lift it up Lord;
Come and quench this thirsting of my soul.
Bread of Heaven, feed me till I want no more.
Fill my cup, fill it up and make me whole.
2
There are millions in this world who are seeking
For pleasures earthly goods afford.
But none can match the wondrous treasure
That I find in Jesus Christ my Lord.
3
So my brother if the things that this world gives you
Leave hungers that won’t pass away,
My blessed Lord will come and save you
If you kneel to Him and humbly pray—


Amen brother Beacon! I love that song! And, the truths that you share are so vitally important to the church today. If we want physical life, we eat bread. If we want spiritual life, we must feed upon the Manna which came down from heaven, Jesus Christ. Grace surrounds us as thick as the air we breathe. But, it does us no good if we do not behold it and allow it to come into our hearts.
Jesus receives His reward when we reflect His character, the fruits of the Spirit......We deny Jesus His reward when we do not.

Beacon

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Re: The Desire of Ages--41--The Crisis in Galilee
« Reply #59 on: March 17, 2020, 05:20:31 PM »
I have used this quote before but the emphatic pathos is soo overwhelming I can't help posting it again today.

"With a yearning heart, Jesus saw those who had been His disciples departing from Him, the Life and the Light of men.The consciousness that His compassion was unappreciated, His love unrequited, His mercy slighted, His salvation rejected, filled Him with sorrow that was inexpressible. It was such developments as these that made Him a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief. Without attempting to hinder those who were leaving Him, Jesus turned to the twelve and said, "Will ye also go away?" Peter replied by asking, "Lord, to whom shall we go?" "Thou hast the words of eternal life," he added. "And we believe and are sure that Thou art that Christ, the Son of the living God." To whom shall we go?"

I really encourage you to read these words two or three times over and picture the mental and spiritual grief that Jesus bore for us and then bow in prayer and perhaps says something like this....

"Lord Jesus I want to recommit my life to you again...forgive me Jesus for all many times I've wounded you. Fill me once again with the power of the Holy Spirit and use me in a powerful way to point men and women to the true source of happiness and joy both in this world and the world to come. "
Look up and listen for the shout.